I am posting this on behalf of Barb who submitted her story in the comment section. Thanks for sharing this with us Barb!

About 6 months ago, I had to have an otherwise healthy lower molar extracted because one of the roots was fractured (popcorn kernel). My general family dentist then suggested I’d benefit from a tooth implant and recommended an oral surgeon living in my Indianapolis area. Two weeks ago, the oral surgeon placed the implant and in approximately 4 months, the abutment and the new replacement tooth/crown will be delivered and put into place. I’m a 67 year old female who happily has a strong healthy lower jaw with plenty of bone as determined by the panoramic x-ray during my consultation visit with the oral surgeon. Frankly, I was nervous about the thought of a metal screw being placed in my jaw and was worried that it would be a terribly painful experience.

My worries turned out to be inaccurate and totally wrong. The oral surgeon gave me an injection in the gum to numb the area just like you’d get for a simple filling. Then, he asked if I’d like nitrous oxide to remove my apparent anxiety and I accepted his suggestion. From the time I sat down in the chair until the total procedure was finished was less than 45 minutes! I felt absolutely no pain or discomfort. He gave me three prescriptions, one for ibuprofen 800mg, one for Tylenol w/codeine, and one for an antibiotic. I took exactly 2 of the ibuprofen after the procedure simply for pain prevention. There was no swelling, no bleeding, and no tenderness in the area. If you’re going for a dental implant, I’d recommend you have it done by an oral surgeon.